US, Mexico begin long, winding road of World Cup qualifying

United States men's national soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann works with his team during a training session, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The team is scheduled to play Honduras on Saturday, Oct. 8 in an international friendly soccer game. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
— AP

United States men's national soccer team coach Jurgen Klinsmann works with his team during a training session, Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The team is scheduled to play Honduras on Saturday, Oct. 8 in an international friendly soccer game. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)
/ AP

You hear college basketball coaches talk about tough road trips, about playing Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, about playing Syracuse in the 33,000-seat Carrier Dome, about playing New Mexico in The Pit.

U.S. soccer players must laugh.

Try heading to San Pedro Sula, the murder capital of the world in 2011, to play Honduras in a World Cup qualifier.

At 3 p.m. local time, so the heat and humidity are at their fiercest. In a packed stadium with circular bands of barbed wire on top of flimsy fences keeping the crazies off the field. With a referee who may or may not be competent (or on the take). With a spartan locker room consisting of a ceiling fan and a couple leaky showerheads located directly below the seating areas that will be rocking hours before kickoff.

With the president declaring a national holiday so everyone can get geeked up for the big match.

Against an opponent that has won its last home game 8-1 against a Canada team that you just tied 0-0.

“There is no easy way, not for Mexico, not for the United States, not for anybody,” U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said of World Cup qualifying in the CONCACAF region, which begins Wednesday in San Pedro Sula and lasts eight nervous months. “You have to go into every game with the expectation that it’s going to be difficult, that it will challenge you to the limits.

“But those are challenges that players need. They need to go through those games, they need to prove themselves and they need to find ways, on the field, to get the job done.”

CONCACAF encompasses North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and it provides arguably the easiest route to the World Cup of soccer’s six continental confederations – or at least easiest in terms of strength of opponents, not simplicity of travel.

You play the other five nations in the final round once at home and once on the road in what is known as the “Hexagonal,” but the Americans aren’t exactly backing into the schedule. They’re at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano on Wednesday, then home against Costa Rica, then at Mexico (in the altitude and smog of Estadio Azteca), then at Jamaica (where they lost last year in the semifinal round of qualifying).

“The games in the last round,” Klinsmann said, “showed you how tricky they can be.”

The Yanks advanced with a 4-1-1 record, but it wasn’t always pretty. There was the unimpressive 3-1 win against tiny Antigua/Barbuda (population 89,018) that was still 2-1 deep into the second half. And the 1-1 tie at Guatemala after surrendering an 83rd-minute equalizer. And the 2-1 loss at Jamaica after taking an early lead. And the harrowing 2-1 win at Antigua/Barbuda that required a 90th-minute strike by Eddie Johnson.

Now Jamaica is considered the worst team they’ll play.

And Klinsmann won’t have the talismanic Landon Donovan, who is still mulling whether he wants to continue with the national team. Or right back Steve Cherundolo (Mt. Carmel), a veteran of the last two World Cups who is out with a knee injury sustained with German club Hannover 96.

Also on the roster is Tijuana Xolos left back Edgar Castillo and forward Herculez Gomez, who resurrected his career with the San Diego Gauchos and now plays for Santos Laguna in Mexico. Not on it is Xolos midfielder Joe Corona (Sweetwater High), although Klinsmann said it “is purely temporary … and (he) will be back with us definitely.”

In the meantime, San Pedro Sula and Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano await.

A U.S. State Department travel warning issued for Honduras in November says: “San Pedro Sula is considered to be the world’s most violent city, with 159 murders for every 100,000 residents in 2011. These threats have increased substantially over the past several years, and incidents can occur anywhere … A majority of serious crimes are never solved; of the 24 murders committed against U.S. citizens since January 2010, police have closed none.”

Said Klinsmann: “I will always welcome these opportunities, these matches, because that’s what it’s all about – going to these places that are not your home, cozy environment, and proving a point.”

World Cup qualifying

What: Final round of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup for the CONCACAF region (North American, Central American and the Caribbean), affectionately known as the “Hexagonal.”

When: Wednesday through Oct. 15.

Who: USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Jamaica.

Format: Every plays everyone else once at home and once away for 10 matches. The top three teams advance to the World Cup; the fourth-place team enters a last-chance playoff against the Oceania winner (most likely New Zealand) in November for another berth.

TV: USA home games are on ESPN and Univision networks, road games on beIN SPORT (Time Warner 807, DirecTV 620, Dish 408, not available on Cox or AT&T). Mexico games are on Univision (or UniMas), Televisa and TV Azteca in Spanish; home games are also available in English on ESPN2.